News Corp., Current Spar Over Italian Carriage

NEW YORK: Current TV’s top brass, including co-founder Al Gore, have alleged that News Corporation’s Sky Italia dropped the service from its lineup because of a bias against anchor Keith Olbermann, who recently joined the network.

According to published reports, Current TV sees the platform’s decision to not renew the contract as a political one. The channel’s executive vice chairman and cofounder, Joel Hyatt, told Reuters, "We were told by a very senior News Corp. source that the order came from New York because we had hired Olbermann." Gore is reportedly in Italy and has taken to talk shows to protest Sky Italia’s decision.

Sky Italia, meanwhile, contends the issue is financial. "Current TV asked Sky Italia for double the carriage fee when prime-time viewing had fallen by 40 percent in the past year," said a statement from News Corp. "Sky Italia’s offer was in line with the market and reflected the performance of the channel. It had nothing to do with politics."

Hyatt, according to reports, maintains that the channel’s ratings increased in 2010 and that it was seeking a 2 euro cents per sub—33-percent—rise in carriage fees.

Countdown with Keith Olbermann is set to debut on Current TV on June 20. The outspoken liberal host often criticized News Corporation’s Fox News when he was an anchor on MSNBC, a post he exited earlier this year.